The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-31


and railroad tax paid to them, and |
with the salary of members Of the Leg
islature.
To the credit Of all counties traversed |
by railroads paying taxes to the State, |
should be added the railroad tax col |
lected on the number of miles of rail- |
road lying in said counties; for if the
counties be charged with the amount of
railroad tax they receive from the State
treasury, they should be credited with
the amount paid in.
This proposition Will be disputed, out
it will hardly require argument to show
that the railroad tax distributed by the
State to the counties is not donation,
but compensation for the States re-
fusal to permit the counties to levy a
county tax.
Under the system of railroad taxation
which the State has adopted, two-thirds
of the amount collected is paid back to
the counties, in accordance with an APP
poTtionment based on the number of
miles of railroad traversing them, the
State retaining one-third as is share
Our contention is that the counties are
entitled to a credit for the amount paid
to the State, and if they are charged
with the two-thirds returned to them,
then they are entitled to credit for the
full amount paid by the railroad com
panios on the number of miles living
within their boundaries.
The charges against the counties for
pay of Legislators are Objectionable. As
well might they be charged with their
share of the pay of Judges, Chancellors
and District Attorneys.
= Members of the Legislature, form one
of the departments of the State Govern
ment--the Legislative--and there is no
more reason in charging their pay to the
counties from which they are elected,
than there is in charging the pay of the
executive officers to the counties from
which they are elected. How would it
do to charge the Governors salary to
Rankin county, the Auditors to Wash
ington, the Attorney Generals to War.
rem, and the Secretary of States to
Pike?
The Chickasaw School Fund is debt
Of the State just as much as are the
bonds on which it is borrowing money
1t is money which the State holds as
trustee, and it can pay the debt when
ever it chooses. Surely it would not be
contended that because a holder of State
bonds in Alcorn county receives from
the State several hundred dollars in
each year in the shape of Interest, the
county shall be charged with that sum
in estimating how much it contributes
to the support of the Government
/, True, the Chickasaw School Fund is
paid into the county treasury while the
interest on the bonds is paid into the
pockets of individuals. But suppose
the county of Alcorn owned the bonds,
would there be any distinction? 1t oc-
ours to us that as to the Chickasaw
School Fund, the counties participating
in its ownership are in just the same re-
lation to the State they would be in if
they held the bonds of the State.
When county receives more from
the treasury as its share of the Common
School Fund than it pays in, it may be
fairly said to receive more than it con-
tributes.
Our position, then, is this: that the
counties should be credited with the
railroad tax, and that they should not
be charged with the Chickasaw School
Fund nor the pay of Legislators.
If we be right, assuming that the total
charges and credits in the tables are
accurate, the following results are
reached:
By deducting the pay of Legislators
from the non-contributing counties il is
found that Covington, Lawrence, Pike,
Wilkinson, Lincoln, Marshall, Quitman,
Tallahatchie and YaIobusha belong to
the list of contributing counties
By deducting the pay of Legislators
and the railroad tax, the following adj
ditional counties are found to belong
to the contributing list: Alcorn, Attala,
Clarke, Jackson, Jones, Marion, Pamela,
Perry, Rankin, Scott and Tate
By crediting the railroad tax and de,
Quoting the pay of Legislators the fol-
lowing additional counties contribute
more than they draw out: Chickasaw,
Kemper, Lafayette, Lee, Newton and
Wayne.
By crediting the railroad tax and
charging only the Common School
Fund the contributing list is again
swelled by the addition of Benton, Cal
houn, DeSoto, Preutiss, Tishomingo and |
Webster.
This will leave twelve counties il the
non-contributing list, to-wit: Amite,
Franklin, Itawamba, Jasper, Leake, Ne
shoba, Noxubee, Simpson, Smith, Tip
pah, Union and Winston.
Noxubee county is not non contrib
nting county; but appears to be because
some part of its tax money for the year
1886 was paid in 1887.
instead, then, of forty-six non-con-
counties there are only twelve,
and one of these is accidentally among
hem.
The contributing counties sre not
,recited with as much as they paid in.
Fer example, Kinds is credited as fol-
ows:
Stale tax ...................~s12,661 So
Privileges ...... -.................- 7,727 SO
Llcenses--.- ...-..-...--.. 1900 90 ]
Total paid.....................-.S27,SS 1888 SO
To this should be added the sum of ,
s6, 740 % railroad tax.
Lauderdale is credited with total of
rs, 1925, to which should be added +,
80, l53 90, railroad tax.
Washington is credited with total of
s23, 1867, to which should be added
4, 442 so, railroad tax.
The tables are valuable only as show
ng what becomes of considerable part :.
# the States revenues, but they lack a /.
treat deal of showing that there are any !
ounties in the State whose residents !.
hould be denied the privilege of dis